Medieval castle · Harju County · Tallinn
Toompea Schloss Domberg
In 1219 Danish crusaders stormed the ancient stronghold of Lindanise and raised their own fortress on the hill. The Sword Brothers and later the Livonian Order built a massive stone convent house on its southern tip, its corners guarded by towers such as Tall Hermann and Stür den Kerl. Under Catherine the Great a pink Baroque palace rose in front of the medieval walls, and in 1922 the courtyard received the parliament building.
Built / first recorded 1200s–1300s
Style Gothic convent castle with a Baroque palace
Condition Standing
German name Schloss Domberg Today
The castle houses the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, and the national flag is raised daily on Tall Hermann.
Owners Taani kroon1219–1227 Mõõgavendade ordu1227–1238 Taani kroon1238–1346 Liivi ordu1346–1561 Rootsi kroon1561–1710 Good to know Legend says the Danish flag fell from the sky during the 1219 Battle of Lindanise. The Estonian flag is raised on Tall Hermann every sunrise. The Riigikogu building (1920–1922) is billed as the world’s only Expressionist parliament building. Photos through time 1885 · Tall Hermann and Toompea Castle from the Swedish bastion1885 · Tall Hermann and Toompea Castle1920 · Toompea castle1920 · Toompea’s small castle1924 · Toompea castlearchive · Toompea castlearchive · Toompea castlearchive · Toompea Castle2006 · Tall Hermann, 20062010 · The Baroque palace front in winter, 20102013 · Toompea Castle and Tall Hermann, 2013Nearby
The buildings are stylized impressions, not surveyed models. Facts: mois.ee, Museum of Estonian Architecture, ERR, Wikipedia. Photos: MuIS and Wikimedia Commons, credited with each photo.
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